In Preaching Articles: "Churches"

How To Tell If A New Volunteer Is Truly A Leader (Or Simply A Doer)

By Carey Nieuwhof on May 9, 2024

"I recently surveyed 1400 small and mid-sized church pastors to find out what they struggle with most as their church grows. They overwhelmingly identified developing leaders as their top challenge."

Tags: leadership, Church Growth, Volunteer, church ministry, obstacles to growth, Barriers to Growth, Growing a Church, Leaders vs Doers, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Shepherd God’s Flock: Equipping God’s People

By Chris Pascarella on Nov 6, 2022

"According to Scripture, pastors are called to equip the flock to do the work of ministry!"

Scripture: Romans 12:4-8, Ephesians 4:11-12

Tags: Called to serve, be the church, Church Body of Christ, pastoral leadership, equipped for service, Equipping Disciples, Equipping The Body, church leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Practical Ideas For Servant Evangelism

By Steve Sjogren on Apr 7, 2023

Servant evangelism uses simple acts of kindness to nudge people toward God. These practical, low-cost ideas help churches connect with their communities with high grace.

Scripture: John 4:5-26, John 15:9-17

Tags: Evangelism, Church, Outreach, Servant, Evangelism How To, Evangelism The Lost, evangelism, church  (view more)  (view less)

10 Sacred Cows That Need To Be Tipped

By Jared Moore on Sep 6, 2024

From entertainment-driven sermons to numbers-obsessed ministry, this article challenges common church practices that subtly undermine biblical faithfulness.

Scripture: John 21:20-22, Matthew 28:18-20, John 4:23-24, 1 Corinthians 1:21, Galatians 1:10  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Preaching, Faithfulness, Method, church leadership, preaching, Church Leadership, Preaching Ministry  (view more)  (view less)

Why We Still Preach

By Peter Mead on May 6, 2025

Preaching is costly and often misunderstood, yet it remains central because God speaks, the gospel saves, and the church must be built and equipped.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:2, 1 Corinthians 1:23, Ephesians 4:12, Acts 4:20, Psalm 139:23  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Holy Spirit, Preaching, anger, overcomer, church leadership, preaching, Church Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Jesus Didn’t Wake Up This Morning Depressed By The Size Of Your Church

By Karl Vaters on Apr 17, 2022

Jesus knows what happened and didn’t happen in church last Sunday.

Tags: Depression, Marriage Faithfulness, Church Attendance, God's perspective, e, church attendance  (view more)  (view less)

Overcoming Blind Spots In The Pulpit

By Sherman Haywood Cox on Jul 21, 2020

Every preacher gravitates toward familiar themes. Identifying and addressing pulpit blind spots helps congregations grow into spiritual maturity and biblical balance.

Scripture: Proverbs 4:23, Ephesians 4:13-15, Acts 20:27, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Colossians 1:28  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Church Growth, Pastoral Ministry

What Does It Mean To Have The Heart Of A Pastor?

By Lance Witt on Apr 23, 2024

What qualities make a leader great? Hebrews describes the most important quality: heart. But what does it mean to have the heart of a pastor?

Scripture: Hebrews 5:1, Exodus 28:29-30, Jeremiah 3:15

Tags: Heart, Pastors, Church leaders

The Leadership Quality Nobody Talks About

By Lance Witt on Jan 3, 2022

Jesus did not come to cajole or manipulate people. He did not come to debate or lead by forceful personality. He never tried to gather a crowd or build an organization. He never marketed himself or developed his “brand”. Instead, he exemplified this quality that we all need.

Scripture: Matthew 12:19-20, Hebrews 5:2

Tags: Church leaders, Jesus' leadership

Why I Love To Preach

By Joseph M. Stowell on Nov 24, 2021

Preaching is a strange mix of joy, agony, insecurity, and calling; this article explores why pastors keep returning to the pulpit and how God uses their weakness.

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:9, 2 Timothy 4:1-2, Hebrews 4:12

Tags: Church, Preaching, pastor, Palm Sunday, Homiletics, Disciplines General, Pastor, preaching, church  (view more)  (view less)

6 Ways To Recycle Your Sermon

By SermonCentral .com on May 4, 2025

If you spend hours preparing a sermon, don’t let it live for only 40 minutes. Here are practical ways to extend your message throughout the week.

Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:13, Proverbs 25:11, Romans 10:17, Joshua 1:8, Colossians 1:28  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Study, Preaching, resources, social media, church leadership, preaching, Resources, Church Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

The Top 8 Reasons Most Churches Never Break The 200 Attendance Mark

By Carey Nieuwhof on Dec 25, 2023

Why is it that most churches never break the 200 attendance mark?

Tags: Church Growth, Barriers, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry, church ministry, Barriers to Growth, Growth Strategy  (view more)  (view less)

5 Ways To Keep Your Church Small And How To Overcome Them

By Dr. Larry Moyer on Jul 17, 2020

Many churches remain small because of unbiblical assumptions and avoidable habits. Learn how vision, planning, stability, and evangelistic focus can reverse that trajectory.

Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:7, Luke 15:4, Acts 2:47, Colossians 4:5, 1 Corinthians 3:6  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Preaching, Church Growth, preaching, Ministry Strategy

Who Says Bigger Is Better? 3 Reasons I'm Convinced God Works Through Small Churches

By Chris Surber on Oct 14, 2021

"Bigger churches can do things smaller cannot do. And little churches do things much larger churches can never do."

Scripture: Acts 11:15-18, Genesis 22:1-15

Tags: family, Preaching, friendship, connection, Small Church, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

How To (Finally) Stop Giving In To The Pressure To Add More Ministries In Your Church

By Carey Nieuwhof on Sep 26, 2023

When you’re a church leader, you feel a lot of pressure.

Tags: focus, Simplicity, Church Body of Christ, ministry philosophy